NEBRASKA CITY – A wide-swath of snow will affect eastern Nebraska, the majority of Iowa and Minnesota over the next 24 hours, according to WeatherEye Meteorologist Ray Miller.

Light snow began falling in downtown Nebraska City shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday. A winter storm warning is in effect until 9 a.m. Wednesday for all of southeast Nebraska, southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri.

Miller expects the snow to pick-up in intensity overnight and last half the day on Wednesday.

“By Wednesday afternoon, things should begin to calm down a bit. Some pretty impressive snowfall totals expected out of the system. I think widespread totals of six to eight inches for most of the listening area. Heavier totals, potentially as high as nine or ten inches, for areas from Omaha on up to the northeast into west-central Iowa.”

The area shouldn’t have issues with blowing or drifting snow, because wind is not expected to be a major factor in this fast-moving storm system. Freezing drizzle could also be part of the forecast in northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri.

Nebraska City Street Commissioner Vic Johns recommends residents park their vehicles off the streets so officials can clean city roads from curb-to-curb.

“Give them the right away when you see a snowplow coming down the street,” Johns said. “Try and relinquish the right away to them, because those are dangerous vehicles and they’re hard to control, especially in a snow that’s going to be this significant.”

Another strong system is forecast to move into the region late in the week and continue into the weekend. This could bring a mixed bag of precipitation to the region, including rain and snow. In addition, this system will bring gusty northwest winds along with it.